Scary looking bug to identify please
Location: Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela
November 11, 2010 4:26 pm
Took the picture on october 29 on a wall right at my job’s door. It was about 1.5 to 2 inches long IIRC. I found it a bit scary because of the (can fly) + (bit painful looking pincers) factors, so I took a pic of it but then forgot about it. Saw it again when checking on old pics on my cell phone so I’m posting it here.
Reason I’m asking is because I showed it to my wife and she mentioned it looked like a ”chipo” (Triatoma infestans), that’s considered a dangerous bug here in Venezuela because it transmits the chagas disease, but checking online all mentions of the chipo describes it as a much smaller bug, and with no pincers.
Signature: Roberto Etcheverry
Dobsonfly
Dear Roberto,
Though it looks a little different from our North American representatives and it is about half the size, we are confident that this is some species of Dobsonfly in the family Corydalidae. These are harmless creatures.
¶ Posted 11 November 2010 § ‡ ° what is this bug?!? kinda freaky.
Location: austin texas
September 3, 2010 6:13 pm
i found this out side my house its really big and scary what is it and can it hurt you? it was alive the other night and i just found it dead out side.
signature: chelsi
Dobsonfly
Hi Chelsi,
Though they look quite dangerous, Dobsonflies are actually quite harmless.
¶ Posted 03 September 2010 § ‡ ° Centipede-like bug with pincers?
Location: Utah
September 2, 2010 1:26 am
I have been searching long and hard for a site where I could ask about a bug I found, so here goes!
Unfortunately I don’t have a picture (but I drew it? haha) of it since I was too frightened to catch it and I didnt have my camera with me at the time.
It was also very dark when I found it and I was in a river… I was swimming around, looking for tadpoles and frogs. And then much to my horror I shined my flashlight upon something that was definitely neither of those.
I can’t remember exactly what it looked like but it had a very long centipede-like body with a lot of legs like one. I think it was white and black (but it was nighttime, and I wasn’t really paying attention to its color for obvious reasons) and it was coming out from under a rock. So it obviously lives in the water. And it had very sharp needle-like pincers that curved in and looked like it could chop your finger off if it got close enough.
I’ve looked everywhere for one. All over the internet, and I can’t seem to find anything that looks even remotely close to it. I really wish I had taken a picture of it! Does something like this exist? Or is it some freak science-experiment gone wrong?
I’m sorry, I wish I had a better explanation of what it looked like (and a better drawing!). The next day I went back hoping to catch it but I didn’t see it anywhere. Of course it only shows up when it isn’t wanted.
Signature: Maddie
Possibly a Hellgrammite
Hi Maddie,
We were quite certain based on your drawing and your letter that you had an encounter with a Hellgrammite, the aquatic larva of a Dobsonfly, but we began to question that theory when we realized your sighting was in Utah. The commonly encountered Eastern Dobsonfly does not range to Utah, but there are three other species that occur in western states. According to BugGuide:
“The only eastern species is Eastern Dobsonfly, Corydalus cornutus. Three other species apparently have very limited distribution in North America:
Corydalus luteus – South Texas
Corydalus texana – SW US west of the Rocky Mountains
Corydalus bidenticulatus – Arizona
Genus is restricted to the New World–other species in Central and South America.”
We were unable to locate an image of a Western Dobsonfly, Corydalus texana, but a web search did lead us to a trout fishing page with a photograph of a Dobsonfly and a nice description. The God of Insects website also has some information. We are posting your letter with an image of the Hellgrammite of an Eastern Dobsonfly as we imagine the western counterpart must look very similar.
Hellgrammite
Interestingly, we did notice that one of our earlier postings is from Colorado, which would indicate there is a strong possibility that image is of Corydalus texana.
What is this bug
Location: Harrisburg, PA
August 20, 2010 9:17 pm
Your help in identifying this bug is appreciated.
AP
Female Dobsonfly
Hi AP,
This is a female Dobsonfly. The males and females can be easily distinguished from one another by the shape of the mandibles. The species exhibits sexual dimorphism and the mandibles of the male are greatly developed and look like a pair of calipers. Though they are greatly exaggerated in size, the mandibles of the male are incapable of inflicting a bite, though it is believed they are used in either courtship or mating. We are still waiting for a photo that documents that statement though we cannot even remember where we first read it. Though the female’s mandibles are smaller, they are more functional, and she is capable of delivering a painful bite that might even draw blood, though generally the bite would just produce a pinching sensation. She has no venom. Your photo captures her in a defensive posture. Neither the male nor the female Dobsonfly feeds as an adult.
¶ Posted 21 August 2010 § ‡ ° insect that was two inches long not counting antennae.
Location: Temecula, CA
August 10, 2010 8:07 pm
This insect reminded me of that disturbing movie ”Mimic” some years ago. It was on the wall by the entry, and not counting the antennae it was about two inches long from head to end of wings. I’ve never seen one of these in the twenty years we’ve been in this house. Any ideas? I thought about it but I did release it.
Gene
California Dobsonfly
Hi Gene,
We love the movie Mimic and we actually wrote about it in our upcoming book. The California Dobsonfly in your photo is not nearly the threat to humanity that the mutated predators in Mimic pose. The California Dobsonfly, Neohermes californica, does not feed as an adult.
California Dobsonfly
¶ Posted 10 August 2010 § ‡ ° Help!
Location: Glen Arbor, MI
August 4, 2010 7:56 pm
Found this bug in Glen Arbor, MI on August 3. I’ve never seen anything like it up there before. Can you help? Thanks!!
Erin Brotherton
Summer Fishfly
Hi Erin,
This is a Summer Fishfly, Chauliodes pectinicornis, and you may compare your image to the ones posted to BugGuide.
¶ Posted 05 August 2010 § ‡ ° Giant Winged Thingy!
Location: High Falls, New York
July 20, 2010 7:24 pm
Hello Bugman!
Just got back from a Mid-July trip to Upper State New York. This really large winged insect slept on the outside of my hotel window screen all day. I am speculating that it is a giant winged termite, but none of my searches, thus far show one like this.
Any ideas?
Freya
Dobsonfly
Hi Freya,
This is actually a female Dobsonfly, and though we never thought of it before, they do rather resemble giant winged termites.
Thanks! My husband was saying it was a Fishfly, but the antennae and mouthparts in the picture he showed me looked different. Maybe they are related?
Thanks again.
It was cool.
Your husband is not really too far off. Dobsonflies and Fishflies are closely related since they are in the same family Corydalidae (see BugGuide). You are quite observant since one of the differentiating characteristics is the antennae.
¶ Posted 21 July 2010 § ‡ ° Dearest Bugman
Location: Delaware Water Gap, PA (Along the riverside)
July 18, 2010 5:45 pm
I saw this along the delaware river about a month ago. Ive been showing everyone the photograph i sent you and no one can figure out even what type of bug it is! (If you can see in the photo it was also mating at the same time, female belly up it looked like) so its not alone and must be full grown. I truly hope you can clear this up, if not, im convinced it is an alien.
Your Friend, Christoph
Newly metamorphosed female Dobsonfly
Hi Christoph,
This is a newly metamorphosed female Dobsonfly, and she is still grasping on to her pupal exuvia, the sloughed off skin that is left behind after metamorphosis. This is a wonderful documentation for our website. You should check out some of the numerous images we have posted over the years of Dobsonflies. Males with their disproportionately large mandibles are truly frightening looking, but perfectly harmless creatures.
¶ Posted 18 July 2010 § ‡ ° 
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